It was a multi-disciplinary aspect of the course and the diversity that motivated me to choose SRIHER, says Swathika

I hail from a small village named Paganeri from Sivaganga District. However, I was brought up in Chennai since childhood and I have successfully completed O levels (IGCSE) and A levels (GCE Advanced Level), Edexcel UK Pearson Board, from Vanshi Manthan Vidhyashram, Chennai.

One of the subjects that truly inspired me to pursue my career in Environmental Health Sciences was O level Geography wherein, the topics we dealt with were entirely different from the conventional Indian Geography, ex: we learned about coastal, hazardous & fragile environments, climate change, economic development, Sustainability etc.

Apart from this, A-level Chemistry, Biology & Physics further pushed me hard to choose a career in the field of health sciences. Thanks to all my teachers at school for being such a great inspiration & a motivation for me to pursue my career in Environmental Health Sciences.

Following the successful completion of my A-levels, with great aspirations to study abroad, I prepared for the IELTS exam and I did take the test and received a band of 7.5, then applied for a few universities in Canada and did get an offer letter. I also wrote VITEEE entrance examination and received a counseling offer from them.

 I researched and got to know about the four-year programme of BSc (Hons) Environmental Health Sciences, newly introduced in the year 2018, at Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, SRIHER (DU) and when I first visited the department to gather further course details, I found that the course structure and design matched most of my interests. In fact, it was a multi-disciplinary aspect of the course and the diversity that motivated me to choose to study here at SRIHER (DU).

I applied for admission, I then got an interview call from the Admission Team of SRIHER (DU) and I was all set for the interview and in fact got selected.

I found that the course structure and design matched most of my interests. In fact, it was a multi-disciplinary aspect of the course and the diversity that motivated me to choose to study here at SRIHER (DU).

Since my schooling I have always had a strong sense that there is an immediate need for attention towards Environmental Protection and Promoting Sustainability. This inner drive helped me realize my responsibility as a global citizen to safeguard the nature that is nurturing us. Against all the odds and battling all the hurdles, and with great aspirations I stepped into the most memorable days of my life, i.e, the UG experience at SRIHER.

I have had some of the most invaluable learning experiences during these three years at the Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Public Health, SRIHER (DU). To share a few, I have learned human resource management skills (dealing with people) & also learned to overcome peer pressure via my experience of being the Student Representative of my Batch. Moreover, other leadership roles such as being the Institution Innovation Council Club Member and coordinator for my batch have opened doors for working with seniors, juniors and Research Staff etc.

In addition to this, a myriad of international workshops and Industry-academia meets (ex: “Opportunities in Waste Management Sector”) conducted by the University have been a wonderful opportunity to relate and learn along with other department students, further creating a wider network.

As a part of the Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Public Health’s outreach activities, I was also involved with campaigning and educating the rural public, for instance, the “Swachhta action plan”, other community service programmes such as Tree plantation programmes and Meditation, International Day of Yoga Awareness Programmes, Visit to Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI) for an Open Day Exhibition and Workshop Learning.

In fact, since our department is a WHO-Collaborating Center (since 2007) and ICMR Center for Advanced Research on Air Quality, Climate and Health (since 2010) working on widely varied projects such as Indoor air quality monitoring in rural households of Tamil Nadu, we were further given hands-on training and fieldwork-based training on carrying out a questionnaire-based study and observational training with respect to PFT (Pulmonary Function Testing).

In addition to this, statistical analysis tools such as R, Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), and demonstration of Air Quality Dispersion Modeling (AERMOD) softwares mainly employed in Environmental Impact Health Risk Assessments are some of the other important trainings that I’ve undergone.

With respect to other academic-oriented achievements and extra-curricular activities at University, I was part of the English Literary Club and I am currently part of Debate Club, Running Club, ‘Agal Tamil Mandram’ and Green Friends Organisation (GFO) of SRIHER (DU).

In addition to this, I also actively take part in inter-college as well intra-college events for instance, I have presented several scientific posters on a myriad of themes such as “Green vs Sustainability” (this one was a scientific poster presented as a team at SRM Ramapuram, Chennai) for which I was awarded a Special Prize; “E-waste Management”; “Living well with Kidney Disease”- for which I was awarded the 1^st prize; “Machine Learning and its implications for NGOs”, “Protecting Breastfeeding- A Shared Responsibility”(Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Breast feeding and the public health perspectives)-for which again I was awarded the 1st prize very recently in August, 2021; UNESCO Students Bioethics video making competition on the theme “Benefit vs. Harm”etc.

Kidney Disease”- for which I was awarded the 1^st prize; “Machine Learning and its implications for NGOs”, “Protecting Breastfeeding- A Shared Responsibility”(Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Breast feeding and the public health perspectives)-for which again I was awarded the 1st prize very recently in August, 2021

I have also received the Chancellor’s Summer Research Fellowship and the Founder Merit-cum-means Scholarship. In addition to this, I have Completed a Sponsored Residential Training Program on “Liveable, Inclusive and Healthy Housing” at Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Anil Agarwal Environment Training Institute, AAETI, Nimli, Rajasthan, March 23-25, 2021 and interned at ExNora International (NGO), and Kankyo Group of Companies and I am also working along with Girl Edunation, a start-up campaign organization for promoting Girl Children’s’ Education.

Overall, these three years have enhanced my adaptability and flexibility to situations, with the additional experiences & lessons taught by the unexpected, game-changing Covid-19. Keeping aside all the negative & devastating effects of the lockdown and Covid-19, I have personally turned the challenges into opportunities to take time out and explore deep into my hobbies such as creative art, drawing, calligraphy, tailoring, sketching, reading books, travelling, learning by acquisition through movies, learning languages via movies, cooking, exercising (walking at the beach) and learned to take up responsibilities by engaging in some household chores.

I have also received the Chancellor’s Summer Research Fellowship and the Founder Merit-cum-means Scholarship. In addition to this, I have Completed a Sponsored Residential Training Program on “Liveable, Inclusive and Healthy Housing” at Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Anil Agarwal Environment Training Institute, AAETI

The learning experiences have not only been an invaluable addition to my career profile, however they have also profoundly aided me towards the personal understanding of my hidden potentials, has deepened the base of my knowledge, increased my acumen, improve my expertise and outlearn my competition.

With respect to my future plans, I am yet to decide what exactly I want to do. I am still perplexed as to whether carry on with masters or take up a job. However, studying and working abroad still remains as one of my greatest dreams.

Finally, I look forward to getting the most appropriate & best opportunity and some of these opportunities that I foresee in the future are internships, trainings and student exchange programs, academic sponsorships/scholarships. Just keeping my options wide open and keenly awaiting to see the route nature has designed for me and the windows of opportunities that it has for me to open with great determination and power!

About the author

Swathika Senthilkumar is a student of BSc (Hons) Environmental Health Sciences at Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research

Note: The views expressed in this article are solely author’s own and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha